Handan Minguan Smoked Sausage

Handan Minguan Smoked Sausage

　　“Minguan Smoked Sausage,” also known as Donkey Meat Sausage, is a specialty of Linminguan in Yongnian County, Handan, Hebei Province. Its casing has a chestnut color, shiny and translucent, and its flavor is fragrant, delicious, rich yet not greasy—truly unique. Donkey Meat Sausage has a history of over 100 years.

　　Legend has it that during the late Qing Dynasty, locust plagues and droughts struck the southeastern part of Shanxi, leaving the fields barren and forcing local residents to flee their homes in search of food. A chef surnamed Du, who was skilled in braising meat and making sausages, worked at a restaurant in Luan Prefecture, Shanxi. He joined the ranks of refugees and eventually arrived in Linminguan. At the east end of the northern street in Linminguan, there was a donkey meat shop owned by a man surnamed Han, whose business was struggling due to poor preparation techniques. After learning about the situation, Chef Du approached Shopkeeper Han, offered to share his skills, and the two decided to become partners. Thus, Donkey Meat Sausage was born.

　　The original method of making Donkey Meat Sausage involved first cleaning and drying the donkey intestines, then preparing a starch slurry with meat broth. The cooked donkey rib meat was chopped into minced meat and mixed with the starch slurry, along with Sichuan peppercorns, fennel, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, shredded ginger, and other seasonings. This mixture was blended with lard, stuffed into the casings, and then boiled for two hours. Later, as their experience grew and techniques improved, they refined the recipe further. They began using mung bean starch slurry, small-mill sesame oil, and fatty donkey meat strips, and switched from boiling the sausages to smoking them over sawdust fire. These improvements gave the Donkey Meat Sausage an excellent color and flavor, winning it greater popularity among more people.